Explosion-engine.



J., T. CURTIS.

EXPLO'SION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2, 1914.

1,165,324,, I latnted Dec. 2-1, 1915.

JESSE TEMPLE CURTIS, OF BEMENT, ILIIINOIS- EXPLOSIQN-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 2, 1914. Serial No. 875,151.

b all whom it may concern: v 7 Be 1t knownthat l, Jnssn T. CURTIS, a c1t1- zen of the United States, residing at Bement, in-the county 'of Piatt and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Explosion-Engine, ofwhich the following is a specification. I j

The present invention relates to improvements in explosion engines, one object of the invention, being the provlsion of a four cycle engine 1n which a tubular plston valve 1nterlinesthe cylinder of the engine and has disposed therewithin for reciprocation, the power piston,the cylinder of the engine being providedwith a lower intake port and an upper exhaust port, the tubular piston being provided with a single port constituting the intake .port and disposed for movement into and out of registration wit-h the intake port of the cylinder, the upper end ."of! the tubular piston being disposed to be moved above or below the exhaust port to thus control the same.

A further object of the present invention, is the provision of an explosion engine of this type which is simple, inexpensive and durable in construction, and which due to such simplicity is efficient and practical in use.

\Vith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings-Figure l is a cross sectional view through an engine constructed according to and embodying the present in- 'vention, the piston being in its lowermost position at the point of intake, and just previous tothe compression stroke thereof.

- Figs. 2, 3, 4t and 5 are diagrammatic views illustrating the various positions of the pistonand piston sleeve or valve during the respective strokes of the power piston. Fig. 6 is an additional diagramshowing the rela tive position of the power piston and tubular piston. j

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the crank case, whichcarries the power cylinder 2 closed at its upper end and provided with an intake port 3 at a point port to uncover the same and thus permit of the passage of the exhaust gases through such port. The upperjend of the piston 5 is provided with a plurality of packing rings 7), which surround the same and thus make a gas tight joint adjacent the upper end of the 'sleeve and the internal portion of the cylinder.

In order to provide a means for reciproeating the tubular piston 5 'in' consonance or in timed relation with thepower-piston 14, a lug 7 is formed u on the lower end thereof and projects--within-the crank caseof the engine, a piston rod 8 being connected thereto and eccentrically to the large gear 9, which is fixed upon the counter shaft 10, this countershaft 10 being disposed in parallel to the crank shaft 12 so that the gear 9 may mesh with the gear 11 and thus receive'its motion from and impart motion to the crank shaft. By this means, the counter shaft 10 revolves one revolutionevery two revolutions of the crank shaft so as to reciprocate the tubular piston 5 in proper timed relation to the power piston I l.-

Connected to the crank shaft'is a piston rod 13, which in turn is connected to the power piston 1+, said power piston M-being mounted for reciprocation therein'in the usual manner. The power piston 14 as shown is provided with aplurality of packing rings 15 adjacent the upper end thereof, so that when the same assumes the position as shown in Fig. 1, at its lowermoststroke, the gas cannot pass therebelow into the crank case as it enters into the chamber Patented Dec. 2i, rats.

formed in the sleeve anclthe port-ion of the cylinder 2. 1 I

* By constructing the tubular piston 5 as illustrated, the walls thereof are relatively I fore follows that the tubular piston is not pulled down to effect the exhaust in the haust port is uncovered, which in. the experiments with the present engine, occurs during the final one-quarter inch of the downward stroke. lVhile the tubular piston has made its power stroke, the power piston has madeits full power stroke, the power piston reaching the limit of its stroke at the time the tubular piston begins the last quarter inch of its forward stroke. \Vhile the tubular piston makes this one-quarter inch travel and returns again, that is onequarter inch down and one-quarter inch up, which fully opens and againcloses the exhaust port, thepower piston has made a. ,complete upward stroke, scavenging the engine. At this time the exhaust port is closed and the power piston is ready to'start upon the suction stroke. k

In order to more fully explain the operation,lreference is had to Fig. 6, in which 14 designates the power piston and'5 the tubular piston, the arrows indicating the direction of travel of the crank shaft and counter shaft respectively. Therefore the travel of the power piston starting as for instance at 1 e and the tubular piston starting at a, at the time of the explosion would have the following result: As the tubular piston only makes one-half as many strokes as the power piston, the tubular piston will travel from a to I), while the power piston travels from 6 to f. The power piston has now reached the limit of its power strokev andthe tubular piston has arrived at the exhaust port. The power piston now travels from f to a, cleaning the cylinder of burnt gases, while the tubular piston travels from Z) to 0, thus opening and closing the exhaust port during this interval. The power piston is now ready for the v downward suction stroke, and while it travels from c to f again, the tubular plston travels from c to (Z, Fig. 6, which it raises a sufficient distance above the exhaust port to insure a good sealing of the compression chamber. lVhile the tubular piston travels from cl to a, the power piston travels from f to e, makingthe. compression stroke, 'both pistons arriving now at the starting point and ready for'th' explosion. The intake occurs about the tiniedrhat the power piston reaches the limit of its suction stroke and about the time the tubular piston arrives at (Z. The intake port is closed'by the'power piston as its moves back on the compression stroke. During the compression stroke of the power piston, the tubular piston shaft travels from d to' a, and both pistons are now readyv for their forward travel under theimpulse of the-explosion.

ac,tion,at the time of intak The intake port of the tubular piston is so placed that when the tubular piston arrives at 7) and the power piston at f, the intake port will be below the head of thepower piston a sufiicient distance to insure that there will be no leakage into the carbureter or-mixer as the case may be.

It will thus be seen that the intake opening of the cylinder may be much wider than the port in the tubular piston and itsfunction is merely to supply the explosive mixture'to the intake port in the tubularpiston.

As illustrated in Figs. 2, 3,. '4 and 5 the 4 been found in practice that a 9 inch tubular piston is sufiicien't ly loiig'to permit of a 6 inch stroke of the power piston, thus greatly reducing the weight and permitting a shorter cylinder. VVith'this form of tubular piston, the usual exhaust port carried thereby is dispensed with, and that by arranging as illustrated,'the same following the explosion uncovers the walls of the cylinder at the hottest point of combustion permitting the heat to actdirectly upon thewalls of the cylinder, thus keeping the tubular piston and the cylinder walls at nearly the same temperature and entirely overcoming the fault of sleeve sticking due to the unequal expansion and contraction of the parts. 'It has also been found in practice, that the present tubular piston is easily lubricated by a splash from the crank case, both the power be noted that the principal'exhaust control which happens at the end of the tubular piston, while it is making a slight movement to uncover one direction and to cover in the opposite directi in, is a decided advantage over mounting the upper end of the sleeve within a jacket and carrying an exhaust port itself, it necessitating only the intake port at the opposite end of the piston and such intake port being placed in registration with the intake port of the engine and at the op posite movement of the parts from the exhaust, thus producing a perfectly balanced e and exhaust of the present engine. I

What is claimed is: v

1. A four-cycle explosion engine, including a crank case, a crank shaft, a-cylinder having a sealed upper end and having its open lower end in communication with the crank case, a tubular'piston mounted for reciprocation Within and lining the cylinder, the upper end of t-he tubular piston being adapted to project above the exhaust port stroke of the power piston, and upon the be to'control the same and forming an auxiliary power piston, said tubular piston being provided with a port adjacent the opposite end for registration with the intake port of the cylinder, to the crank shaft, and means connecting the tubular piston to the crank shaft, whereby the tubular piston during reciprocation begins the uncovering of the exhaust port at the extreme lowermost point of the explosive ginning of the up-stroke thereof, and also assists in moving the crank shaft during the explosive strok 2. A four-cycle explosion engine, including a crank case, a crank shaft, a cylinder having a sealed upper end and having its lower end in communication-with the crank case,

a tubular piston mounted for reciprocation within and lining the cylinder, the upper nd of the tubular piston being relatively giiick and forming an auxiliary power piston and being adapted to project above the exa power piston operably connected intake port of the cylinder, a power piston operably connected to the crank shaft,,means connecting the tubular piston to the crank shaft whereby the tubular piston is reciprocated to begin the uncovering of the exhaust port at practically the extreme lowermost P011112 of the explosive stroke of the power piston and upon the beginning of the upstroke thereof; the power piston cooperating with the intake port of the sleeve to control the intake p ort and both pistons cooperating during the explosion tojope'rate' the crank shaft. U

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my'own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

- JESSE TEMPLE CURTIS. Witnesses:

MAYME E. MCNAMEE, NINA MooREI 

